Mar 13, 2017 - Sir Peter Luff, Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: âThere is no quick fix to this problem. The h
National Historic Ships UK secures Heritage Lottery Fund support for second phase of skills training project National Historic Ships UK (NHS-UK) has received initial support for a £424,900 scheme from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) under its Skills for the Future programme, it was announced today. The grant was applied for to assist in funding a second phase of the Shipshape Heritage Training Partnership project – an initiative that aims to prevent the loss of the traditional skills and techniques involved in conserving, handling and maintaining historic vessels. Development funding of £15,900 has been awarded to help NHS-UK progress its plans to apply for the full grant at a later date. The project will host 16 training placements of 12-month duration each at eight partner sites across the UK. Trainees will be working with a variety of historic vessels in both operational and museum settings, receiving specialist training in traditional seamanship and maritime curatorial skills. They will also undertake a tailored induction at Cremyll Sea School, a unique course in historic vessel maintenance at the International Boatbuilding Training College Lowestoft and a range of modules in historic vessel conservation.
This scheme is based on an earlier HLF-funded project which successfully hosted ten training placements with partners operating historic vessels at sites ranging from Scotland to the West Country. Nine of those ten trainees went on to secure paid or voluntary employment within the maritime sector.
Hannah Cunliffe, Director at NHS-UK, said: “I am delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given us this further support. The funding will help young people learn the practical skills which are necessary to interpret, operate and maintain historic vessels within a museum collection or on the water to a standard in keeping with their significance. The project includes the development of a series of short films to document skills in action, ensuring a lasting legacy which will also benefit the wider sector.”
Sir Peter Luff, Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “There is no quick fix to this problem. The heritage sector has been slow in widening the profile of its work force and as a consequence is on a long-term learning curve. “We wanted to build on the legacy of our existing targeted skills funding – £47m to date – and make a further financial commitment of just over £10m. Why? Because we know the Skills for the Future programme can drive successful and lasting change. It’s simple yet highly effective: trainees paired with experts gain access to knowledge plus practical, paid, on-the-job experience.” . -Ends-
Notes to editors
First launched in July 2009, Skills for the Future is an HLF grants programme supporting organisations across the UK to develop vocational learning programmes. HLF has awarded grants totalling £47m under this programme, enabling high-quality work-based training, the development of new heritage career pathways and qualifications, and capacity building work.
About National Historic Ships UK (NHS-UK) NHS-UK is a government funded, independent organisation which gives objective advice to UK governments and local authorities, funding bodies, and the historic ships sector on all matters relating to historic vessels in the UK. It maintains: the National Register of Historic Vessels which lists over a thousand significant craft; the National Archive of Historic Vessels for those craft now destroyed; the UK Replica List, and the Overseas Watch List which tracks vessels of outstanding significance outside the UK. NHS-UK is also the initiator and manager of the Shipshape Network, which was set up to promote the regeneration of traditional maritime skills, encourage regional activities and improve communication amongst heritage training schemes. www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk www.shipshapenetwork.org.uk About the Heritage Lottery Fund Thanks to National Lottery players, we invest money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology uder our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. www.hlf.org.uk. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #HLFsupported. For more information, please contact Katie Owen, HLF Press Office, on tel: 020 7591 6036/07973 613820 About the Shipshape Heritage Training Partnership (SHTP) SHTP was formed to deliver this Skills for the Future project and comprises the following organisations: National Historic Ships UK (lead partner) – www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk Royal Museums Greenwich – http://www.rmg.co.uk HMS Warrior 1860 – http://www.hmswarrior.org Scottish Fisheries Museum Trust - http://www.scotfishmuseum.org Dauntseys School Sailing Club - http://www.dauntseys.org/adventure/jolie-brise Sea-Change Sailing Trust - http://www.seachangesailingtrust.org.uk Excelsior Sailing Trust - http://www.excelsiortrust.co.uk Trinity Sailing Foundation – http://www.trinitysailing.org Pioneer Sailing Trust - http://pioneerck18.org
For further information, images and interviews, please contact: Victoria Wallworth, Project Officer, National Historic Ships UK T: 0208 312 8558 E:
[email protected] www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk
